The show’s program
It’s one of those things. If ever you get to Las Vegas you know you have to see a Cirque du Soleil show – and there are plenty to choose from – but I couldn’t explain why that was the case. I had my trip already planned to Las Vegas and was actually hoping to see Celine Dion (who wouldn’t be performing during my visit) or Britney Spears (completely sold out). And then I saw the Cirque du Soleil movie. A clever way to introduce you to all the Cirque du Soleil shows that are currently running in Vegas. Little bits of each show is showcased in this movie with a simple story line to tie them all together. It’s a great way to get to know Cirque du Soleil. Before the movie I didn’t know fully what to expect. I’d seen the Canadian Cirque Eloize back in the day when I had designed their website and more recently I’d seen the Australian C!RCA. However, Cirque du Soleil is known to be everything all the others are striving for. And after seeing the movie, believe me, you want to see them too.
It was easy to trace some of my favorite bits from the movie to the show “O”, which you can catch at the Belaggio Hotel and Casino. Though I would’ve loved to have seen the fight sequence for real too. Just so I could figure out how they did that in the first place. But “O” it was. I expected all elements to have a prominent role in this show. Air, fire, earth and mostly water.
The stage is a clever design, that constantly changes from being a round swimming pool to a partial pool with little islands and – at times – it even turns to a normal stage. But who needs a stage in the first place when you can have artists flying in the air, whether they are hanging from ropes or other props or whether they just jump in the air by themselves. It’s nerve wrecking to see this happen. It’s timed out well and you are aware of the risk these artists take. One false move, one move a second too late could mean disaster. People could bump into each other or fall and as spectator all you can do is just hold your breath and release a sigh of relief once the segment of the show is over and everything went well. You’re left in admiration.
Luckily the show has all emotions and the tension of the most captivating acts is well balanced with clowns or other kinds of entertainment, but still all very much done with grace. All supported by a great choice of music that really pulls you into the acts even more. All I can say is that the show is beautiful. If you have a chance to catch it, you definitely should.
If you’re into it and you are captivated by dance or movement, also check out the gallery that you can find in the theatre lobby. Amazing sculptures of the artists can be found there.
